Life on Mars, series 3
by Coaxial Creature
Summary: My attempt to follow through with the creator's ideas for LoM series 3 where Sam stays in 2007. Between the tumor, his relationship with his mum and Maya, and the possibility of Gene Hunt haunting Sam's psyche... Not to mention what really happened to Annie, Chris, Ray, even Gene, to land them in 1973, the dangling Vic Tyler plotline, there's lots to run with.


Title: Untitled for Now

Author: Coaxial Creature

Fandom: Life on Mars/compliant with Ashes to Ashes - maybe

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I owned even a part of it, especially the Gene Genie. I don't. A girl can dream.

Author's Notes: This is based on what I've read about might have happened in Series Three of LoM if we'd been lucky enough to have one. It's based on the idea that Sam Tyler stays in the present - well, now our past, but 2007, a world that's utterly familiar to the modern audience. Gene Hunt is in the series, as he pops up as part of Sam's psyche. (There was also the idea that Gene would actually come to be in the present of 2007, but that will end up tying into Ashes to Ashes, I think. Possibly.)

I'm also going to include the cast somewhat, mostly through dreams, flashbacks of sorts, and more... modern ways. The Test Girl will also be included, although possibly not as much as some fans would hope. I'm also hoping to do this as an eight 'episode' series, then continue on from there if I'm so inclined. And I must, must, must emphasize that this will focus on LoM instead of A2A, and that while I'm toying with the idea of including Drake, and most likely will include Shaz - I liked her far better than Drake, honestly - but the main focus will be Sam Tyler, and his relationship with Gene Hunt and the Manchester crew, as well as him coping in the modern world after his experiences in 1973.

I'll also explore his relationship with Maya, dig into his relationship with his mother, and go into the issue of the brain tumor which I feel would have played nicely into the hallucinatory aspects of LoM. Also, this will be told from Tyler's POV, third person, in keeping with that aspect of LoM; Sam is in every scene in series one, and almost every one in series two, although they gave Simm a break in one episode. I'll be portraying Sam in every single scene which will be interesting. In other words, I've given this puppy a lot of thought. And I just can't et enough of the Tyler/Hunt pairing - not even slashily-wise. Them bantering is enough for me.

As far as the general idea of Sam staying in 2007, and psyche-Gene - then real Gene - following him, that's all the writers. The details of how I do this? All me. Oh, right, and I can't remember the details of the last scenes of series two, episode eight, as I'm re-watching the whole thing from the beginning at the moment. Even if I do mess around with it, a bit, I'm going AU at the end. And using a couple ideas from A2A, and transplanting them here, so I'd probably play around with the details anyway, to mirror an earlier LoM scene, even if I were 100% certain the facts were wrong. Onto the actual story.

Sam breath catches in his throat as he stands on the edge of the building; he... remembers this. He remembers Annie stepping up beside him, taking his hand, getting him to take that step back. Her ex-boyfriend was below, yelling up at him, begging him not to jump. His eyes go damp, not completely due to the bitter cold gale of wind, as he realizes that there's no one down there to stop him. Pressure builds behind his eyes. He thinks he'll do anything to stop it before it becomes another blinding migraine, leftover side-effects from the tumor excised from his head. Dr. Morgan promised they'd be gone by now, after all, so Sam knows there's something else horribly wrong.

There _is_ Annie's voice, screaming, and he goes blind with the pain that accompanies that sound.

"Sam?" There's puzzlement in that sweetly familiar voice, and the lump in his throat dislodges.

"Annie?" He whispers the name, turns his head, blinks as he sees Maya stop.

"Sam." There's something more rigid in her voice now, mirrored by the way she straightens, the sharpness in her narrowing eyes. And just as suddenly, she softens, it's _her_ eyes misting over, and she takes the step back before catching herself. She's moving towards him more quickly now, speaking although he doesn't catch anything she says, and he can see that shrewdness glimmering in her eyes, as her gaze goes from him, to beyond him, back to his face. She's probably thinking about how far down it is, and suddenly Sam is, too.

"Sam, get down." It sounds like an order, but it's not; her voice is far too gentle, fragile, for it to be a command. "Please."

"God, Maya, it's... I can't explain." His chest _tightens_ again, that something blocking his throat again, but it's head, pounding, pounding, and the fact that he knows his hand is bleeding, but he can't feel _that_. He closes his eyes. "There's someone waiting."

Her hand is on his shoulder, the touch light, although she tugs at him, trying to coax him to step off.

His whole body shudders as he takes in that breath. "Annie." He can feel his brow furrow, and when he opens his eyes, just a little, to look back at her, Maya's face is blank. "I have to get back to her. I promised..."

Except that it comes crashing back to him - Maya, his mum, his department - even as she opens her mouth. He thinks he can see her lips forming the words, 'me... mum... DI..." It's all too tight again, and it's all gone white, and he's shivering he thinks, as she steps to his side, takes his hand, and he follows her off onto the roof like a scolded child.

He's crying, he knows because his cheeks are wet. Cold and wet. He's rubbing his forehead, pushing the heels of his hands into his closed eyes, trying to relieve some of the pressure there. Maya's arms are around him, and he gives up, hands dropping to his sides, as he leans into her. "I think something's wrong," he mumbles against her shoulder, and he thinks, '_help me. Please. God. Maya. Annie, help me.'_ Her hand is on her shoulder, rubbing, and she's making soft soothing sounds, in between asking him if he wants her to get a doctor, water, _something_, although he thinks he can hear Annie's tone in Maya's voice, telling him that he needs some... help. _That_ kind of help, although she's trying to be polite about it, even around her exasperation.

And he's just sobbing now; he's hot, even in this frigid air, so hot he can feel the sweat pop up on his forehead, and along his spine, and that jacket, that bloody jacket, is smothering him, and he's trying to hold onto Maya, keep himself pressed up against her even as he's trying to pull the jacket off at the same time. Her hand is blessedly cool against his forehead, although she pales at the touch. She takes out her mobiel, and stars talking to someone, as the world fades away.

_"Sam! Help us, Sam!" He reaches out past her, reaches out for Annie, who's eyes are wide, and hurt, and he can't believe he hasn't come back to her either. It's the soft snort to his side that really catches Sam's attention, though. When he turns, he goes cold again, teeth chattering, at the sight of his... DCI. Former DCI? Friend, or former friend? Tormenter, mentor, or something in between? "No." Sam Tyler can barely hear himself whisper the word, and he's staring hard at Gene Hunt, battered, bruised, bloody, but still standing. Ray's at his feet, and Annie's screaming, crying, her face suddenly blotchy and red, as she shakes her head wildly. "Ray... Chris..." Because Chris is still on Gene's other side; neither the DS or the DC are moving, and their eyes are wide and empty. _

_Gene Hunt tilts his head, his eyes just as empty, but deep - so deep, and he's still moving, damn him. "It's her turn now, Tyler." He lifts his hand, index finger pointing at Annie. When he makes a motion, like he's readying to fire, Sam hears the gun cocking. Sam cries out wordlessly. _

_At the same time, a gunshot rings out. Although he's been given fair warning, Sam flinches. Annie gasps, cries out again, and then falls to her knees. She's pressing against the red blooming on her blouse, and Gene is by her side, murmuring something comforting. Sam only hears the end. "It's alright, luv." He could gloat, tell her that he knew Sam wasn't coming back, but there's something gentle, not at all like DCI Hunt. "Shh." He says it because Annie's still trying to talk, except that her brow furrows instead, as Gene goes from crouching to sitting, Annie's head resting on his thigh. "Let's go..." And then there's a buzzing sound, although Gene is still talking. Sam wants to hear, leans in, takes a step forward, right into Maya. _

"Sam?"

_"She wasn't ready to go, Tyler." Everything about Gene Hunt is tight, his hands balled into fists, jaw clenching, as he glares at Sam. "She was waiting for _you_." It's most definitely an accusation. Gene hates this, hates losing most of all, Sam thinks. _

Only worry is left. Maya's gone paler, is clutching at Sam's arm, leading him. Her voice is as soft as Gene's when he told Annie he was taking her somewhere. _Where?_ Sam wants to demand it, wants to grab the lapels of Gene's coat and shake the answer out of the man. Instead, he follows Maya, swaying, flushing as he realizes that people are staring at him, whispering.

_Another snort. Gene is just as bloodied, but he's walking beside him and Maya, tall, confident, lips pursed, and eyes as blank and dead as Chris' and Rays' and... and Annie's..._

Sam shakes Maya off him, stumbles to the bathroom. He realizes that he's lifted his hand, punched the mirror, as it cracks, without completely shattering. Gene is standing behind him, lips still pursed, his reflection fragmented. "Who are you?" Sam thinks about that, then shakes his head; it feels like there's something sharp rattling around in his brain, sending little spikes of pain through his head, behind his eyes, little blinding white moments. "_What_ are you?"

_A glimmer in the older man's eyes tells Sam all he needs to know. _

"Why are you still here?" He closes his eyes against those little moments, like electricity shocking his brain, jaw twitching at the sensation; he leans his forehead against the cool glass. "What do you want with me?"

But when Sam opens his eyes, it's that little girl, clutching her clown to her chest.

_"You left us, Sam." _

_Petulant little bitch, _he thinks back at her. "Where's Gene? I want to talk to Gene."

_She smiles then. "What about Annie, Sam? She left with Gene, and all she wanted was for _you_ to come back." _

"No more riddles?" He takes a step back, sees the cut on his cheek, the blood dripping down his skin, and he feels... nothing. No, he feels the blood, thick against his skin, but he flinches because he should feel pain and he doesn't.

_The Test Card girl just looks down at him_, _clown still dangling in one hand, eyes bright, so bright, even as the pressure in his head increases, the pain clamping down on him. He refuses to give in, because she's there, still stalking him. _

_"It's over," he shouts at her, sending another shockwave of pain through his head. No, his body. He feels like all the nerves in his body are being lit on fire, one by one._

_She smiles, wags her finger at him. "Not nearly over."_

_Sam's eyelids grow heavy, droop. He wants to scream at her that it's all over, but even thinking about something that _loud_ makes him flinch. He's in the field, a child, looking at Annie on the ground, the pool of blood around the same color as her pretty, bright red dress, although the grass is too brilliant to be real, too. His memory isn't one hundred percent accurate; he's a young boy in shock, which explains the saturation of these recently unearthed memories._

_Someone's screaming. It's Annie, maybe, except her mouth is closed and her eyes are big, the fear draining from them to be replaced by nothingness. _

_"You have to find her, Sam." The test card girl is standing next to a clownish Vic Tyler, who's limp. Head hanging down, like his neck is filled with straw, gun practically slipping out of one hand, and the girl is gripping the other as if she's holding him up somehow. It's his too wide, painted on smile that's the most frightening thing of all, however. _

_There's a shape in the background, a big, light brown blur that comes into focus as Gene Hunt walks closer, replacing Vic and the girl. Sam's breathing heavily now, although he's ended up on his arse somehow, so he feels as if he shouldn't be struggling for breath at all. It's just all this..._

_"I told her," Sam says wearily. "It's all over."_

_"And she told you it's bloody well not."_

_"It should be."_

_The Guv drops to one knee, and pulls off his gloves, reaching out to close Annie's eyes for her. "Find her, Sam."_

_"But if she's dead, how do I-"_

_"Don't think you're safe just because you're here. Find her now, I will find you, and -"_

_Every threat the Guv's ever made comes to mind, but before he can voice a variation of arse kicking or scrotum mangling, Sam wakes. _

The scent of stale sweat explains the way the sheets cling to him; the memory of Vic Tyler, the Guv, and Annie in his dream explains the way his heart races in his chest. The pressure is back behind his eyes, and he rubs his face. Find Annie? Or find out what happened to her? He suspects his father killed her to protect the fact that he was posing as the Morton Brothers. 1973, a plonk - a policewoman, he corrects himslef - killed, and the Morton Brothers. Now that he has Google again, it shouldn't be too hard to find.

He's got a cuppa in hand and Gene's voice echoing in his head whilst he waits for the PC to boot up. Once he's on, he realizes that no one's mentioning a WPC Cartright, not by first or last name. No journalist is crass enough to use the slang the Guv, Ray, or even Chris would use, but he tries plonk and Morton Brother's anyway.

Nothing.

He's glaring at the screen, going over the combinations of words he's already used in his searches, trying to pare it down to less than 'Morton Brothers' - he's used that in combination with '1973', 'Annie', 'Cartwright', and even 'Gene Hunt' - without garnering thousands of hits that have nothing to do with his father.

Gene, and the Test Card girl are finally silent, just when he could use some hint, no matter how strange or obscure. He shuts the computer down, leans back in his chair, and closes his eyes again. His head is throbbing again.

New DI is the word around the office, although Sam has known this for a while. He's simply not feeling up to greeting her, and almost asks Maya to handle her for him. Except that the name has changed from Johnson to Cartwright. Sam tries to blink the hallucination away.

It's still Cartwright.

When Sam looks up, he sees that same dark, dark hair, and he feels about to pass out again. The pressure is in his chest now; it hurts when he breaths. It's the same bloody cut, even, cropped short, those curls the same. She turns, and there's something a bit rounder about her face, her eyes are a bit smaller, but he can see Annie in her.

Find _her?_

_TBC_


End file.
